Echeveria rainbow is a very colorful plant that will give your home an ever-changing new touch every season. If you are in love with colors, this rainbow plant is one of the plants that you should consider adding to the set of plants that you have in your home garden.
This article is a compilation of all that you need to know for you to take proper care of your Echeveria rainbow. To learn more about this amazing succulent, continue reading.
Contents
What Is Echeveria Rainbow?
The Echeveria rainbow is a succulent that belongs to the Crassulaceae family. The leaves of this plant are able to change color with the changes in season, and the leaves of the Echeveria rainbow are arranged in rosettes that overlap. These rosettes grow until they reach approximately six inches in diameter.
The edges of the older Echeveria rainbow leaves have a light pink color. The new leaves are characterized by green color at the center, while the edges have a pink color that is lighter than that of the older leaves. These mixed colors on the leaves of the Echeveria rainbow is the reason why the plant is called the Echeveria rainbow.
Quick Overview
Here is a handy table of this plant’s requirements.
| Requirements | Echeveria Rainbow |
| Light | Full sunlight |
| Water | Water regularly during spring and summer, reduce watering in winter |
| Soil | Well-draining soils that are suitable for succulents |
| Temperature | Temperatures ranging from 65 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit |
| Fertilizer | Apply a controlled-release fertilizer at the beginning of the plant’s growing season |
Echeveria Rainbow Care
All the basic rules that apply for other succulents are also relevant when it comes to caring for the Echeveria rainbow. This section will provide you with information on how to take care of the Echeveria rainbow.
– Light Requirements
The Echeveria rainbow will thrive well if you grow it under full sunlight. Light shades will also do. If your Echeveria rainbow is among your indoor plants, place it close to the west- or east-facing window that will give it enough light. Make sure your plant receives full sunlight for about four to six hours.
– Water Requirements
You should water the Echeveria rainbow regularly during its growing season, which is in the spring and summer. The growth rate of the rainbow succulent reduces in winter so you should reduce your watering frequency. This allows your plant to enter its period of dormancy with limited disturbance.
After each watering, the soil should remain moist but never soggy. Waterlogged and soggy soils make your plant more susceptible to attack by fungal infections.
When you water your plant, do so thoroughly until excess water drains through the drainage holes of the pot. Wait until the plant’s topsoil is dry before you water it again.
– Soil Requirements
Your Echeveria rainbow will do well in well-draining soils that are suitable for succulents. The pH level of the soil should be slightly acidic, around six.
You can create your potting mix by combining sand with an all-purpose potting mix at a ratio of 1:1. The sand will help to improve the aeration and drainage of the soil. You can even mix clay, pumice and loam to create a potting mix that is well-draining, yet slightly water-retaining to avoid leaching important nutrients.
– Temperature Requirements
These plants love desert conditions, so temperatures between 65 F and 70 F are conducive for the growth of the Echeveria rainbow. During winter, your plant can still survive temperatures around 50 F. The Echeveria rainbow is better grown among your houseplants because it does not tolerate temperatures below 50 F.
Changes in temperature affect the color of Echeveria rainbow leaves. The plant adopts lighter colors when temperatures are high and hot. Darker and denser colors are evident when temperatures are lower.
– Fertilizer
There is no harm in fertilizing your Echeveria rainbow in a bid to help to boost its growth. It’s best to apply the fertilizer at the beginning of the plant’s growing season, but be sure to use a controlled-release fertilizer. You can even add a weak liquid solution of the fertilizer to your plant after every week.
Dilute a 20-20-20 fertilizer to quarter strength if your plant is mature. If they are still young, use fertilizers that have a low nitrogen content. Fertilizers with high amounts of nitrogen can burn your plant, so take note not to fertilize your plant during the winter.
– Repotting
There are no stipulations as to when you should water your Echeveria rainbow. However, whenever you decide to repot your plant, do so during the warm season.
To start the repotting process, let the potting soil dry. Now, uproot your plant and gently shake the soil off. Check the roots of your plant and remove any rotten or damaged ones. If there are any cuts, treat them using a fungicide.
Prepare a pot with enough drainage holes. Place your Echeveria rainbow in the pot and slowly add your potting soil, be sure to spread the roots of your plants as you do so. After leaving your plant for about a week, lightly water it to avoid waterlogging.
Propagation
You can use seeds, leaf cuttings or offsets to propagate Echeveria rainbow.
The propagation procedures are better done during the spring.
– Leaf Cuttings
The Echeveria rainbow is a hybrid plant. Therefore, the best way to maintain the characteristics of the mother plant is by propagating it through leaf cuttings.
Get a healthy leaf-cutting by cutting it as close as you can to the stem of the mother plant. Put the plant on a flat surface and allow it to dry and form a callus — this might take a few days. Dip the cut end of the cutting into a rooting hormone prior to planting it in a well-draining potting mix preferably made up of sand, pumice and soil. A commercially available cacti mix will also do well for your plant.
Keep the planted Echeveria rainbow cutting sunder temperatures around 50 F. Cover the dish in which you are propagating your plant until new leaves begin to sprout. Deal with two or more cuttings to increase the chances of success.
– Seeds
Growing Echeveria rainbow from seed is possible but it is a lengthy process. Simply buy commercially available Echeveria rainbow seeds and plant them in a well-draining potting mix. Lightly water them until they begin to germinate, and leave them so that they can establish a strong rooting system. You can then transplant the young plants into a new pot and take care of them the way you do for any other rainbow succulent plant.
Problems
The Echeveria rainbow is unlikely to be affected by pests and diseases if you take proper care of it. Be sure to remove dead leaves from the plant on a regular basis as leaving them on your plant will attract pests and diseases.
Let’s take a look at some of the pests and diseases that you should look out for as you take care of your plant.
– Mealybugs
Mealybugs can be sneaky so you should check your plant for their presence on a regular basis. The easiest way would be to make sure you check your plant after every watering session by looking at the undersides of your plant’s leaves. If you notice some white cottony patches stuck to the leaves of your Echeveria rainbow, then you are dealing with a case of mealybugs.
Mealybugs survive by sucking the sap of your Echeveria rainbow. This is why their extended presence and larger infestations can then lead to droopy leaves, whose vitality would have been drawn. Lower infestations of mealybugs are easier to deal with using a strong stream of water. You can use a garden hose for this.
Use cotton balls that are dipped in 70 percent alcohol to dab the mealybugs if they are still in lower numbers, and you can directly spray the plant with alcohol if the infestation is high. Neem oil blocks the breathing holes on the surface of the mealybugs, thereby killing them. If you don’t have access to Neem oil, insecticidal soap will do.
– Fungus
The Echeveria rainbow can be easily attacked by fungal infections. This is even more likely when you overwater your plant, which leads to root rot. Also, avoid watering the Echeveria rainbow from the top of its leaves because water might sit on the plant’s rosettes, which may also cause leaf rot.
Fungal infections are common in Echeveria seedlings when they are less than two weeks old. It is, therefore, important that you lightly water the seedlings to protect them from fungal infections. When you detect a fungal attack on your Echeveria rainbow, treat it with fungicides.
If the damage by the fungal attack is severe by the time you notice it, remove healthy parts of the plant and propagate them. If the plant can’t be salvaged, then there’s nothing to do but to incinerate it. Also, remember to disinfect the location where the affected plant was placed so that the fungal infection does not spread to other plants.
FAQ
Should Echeveria Rainbow be in full sun?
Echeveria Rainbow thrives in full sun, making it an ideal condition for its growth and development.
Is Echeveria Rainbow hard to keep alive?
While Echeveria Rainbow requires some care, it can be successfully maintained with proper attention and suitable conditions.
What is a death bloom on Echeveria Rainbow?
A death bloom on Echeveria Rainbow refers to the flowering stage marking the end of the plant’s life cycle.
Conclusion
Taking care of the Echeveria rainbow is not only easy, but it is also affordable, too! Let’s outline the “take-home” ideas for nurturing this gorgeous plant.
- The Echeveria rainbow grows well under the full sun and light shade.
- Water your plant more during the spring and summer. Reduce the watering frequency during winter.
- Well-draining soils are the best substrate for the Echeveria rainbow.
- The best temperature range for the Echeveria rainbow is between 65 F and 70 F. Do not expose your plant to temperatures below 50 F.
- A 20-20-20 fertilizer diluted to quarter strength is appropriate for mature Echeveria rainbow plants. Avoid applying nitrogen-rich fertilizers to younger plants.
- Repotting your plant should be done during the warmer seasons.
- Regularly check your plants for mealybugs.
We got you covered, and you now have all it takes to parent the Echeveria rainbow the best way possible. Happy Echeveria parenting!
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